Breathing: An everyday superpower to manage your mind and health
By Dr Luke Ross, Chiropractor
Overwhelmed? Anxious? Concerned? Busy? Stressed? Take a deep breath. We are going to get through this.
Breathing is a really powerful tool in your body. It helps improve your health, manage stress and control your physical responses. Yes, you are already doing it all the time! In fact, the average person takes 16 breaths a minute. There are 1,440 minutes in a day. So, your diaphragm could be doing 23,040 reps a day!Now, if you went to the gym and did 1,000 bicep curls, how likely would it be that you did them all properly? Odds are, once the fatigue hits and your mind begins to wander, your biceps aren’t doing their best work. The same can happen to your diaphragm throughout the day.
What is the Diaphragm?
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It lies below the lungs. As a kid in school, did you ever play the game where you and your classmates hold a big tarp and flap it up and down? That's essentially what the diaphragm does. And when it flaps down the lungs expand due to a decrease in pressure compared to the air pressure outside the lungs. Then the pressure in the lungs is greater than the outside and we release the air back out. In between there has been some gas exchange so we take in oxygen and expel carbon dioxide.
What we tend to do
Hold the belly in, and let the chest expand. We’re all guilty of it. If you don’t think so, take note next time you're at the beach or the pool. This is not to say chest breathing doesn't have its place. When exercising we want to brace the core, this protects our spine and promotes good technique.
What we should do
Particularly when resting or sitting, let the belly expand. Deep full breaths. This isn’t to say you won’t get a little bit of the shoulders rising or chest expanding, but if most of the breath is filling the lungs and the belly is expanding, we're off to a good start.So, how is your breathing technique? Try this simple self-check exercise to see if you’re getting the most out of your breath.
Self-Check
Stand or sit in front of a mirror.
Take a deep breath in.
Are you in a tall and upright posture?
Is your belly expanding out?
Are you neck muscles relaxed?
Well done – you have excellent breathing technique.If you found that you were:
Hunched,
Shoulders rising,
Chest expanding,
Or Neck muscles tensing,
Your breathing could do with some TLC. Here’s how.
Check Yourself: Try the Balloon Test
If you have a balloon handy there's a simple way to demonstrate the effect of posture on breathing. First try to blow up a balloon while hunched over. Then try again, standing tall and upright. Which one was easier?
Improve your technique: 2 Exercises
Choose between either of the following low-risk exercises, or do both! If at any point you feel uncomfortable, you should stop.Exercise 1Lay on your back. Bend the knees so you aren’t lying flat. Take a deep breath in, and count to 5 slowly as you do this. Try to match your breath to the time. Then breathe out and match your breath to 5 again. Once 5 is easy increase your count by 1 or 2 at a time. Do this for a minute or 2.Exercise 2Lay on your stomach. Breath in slowly and think about elevating your low back away from the floor. This is just using your breath. If you breathe into your tummy and let the belly expand you will accomplish this easily. Repeat for 30-60 seconds.
Learn More
At Sydney Spine and Sports Clinic, we put you first. We believe in offering chiropractic care that enables you to make informed and educated choices about your health. If you are suffering pain or injury and would like to talk to us about how we can help you get mobile and active again – get in touch right here.